South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward and the Gamecocks limited Vanderbilt to only 276 yards of offense last week. / Jeremy Brevard/US PRESSWIRE

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EAST CAROLINA AT SOUTH CAROLINA

COLUMBIA — The biggest question here this week has been the health of South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw entering today’s home opener against East Carolina.

While Gamecocks fans are excited to see the huge new scoreboard in Williams-Brice Stadium and experience the revamped and beautifully landscaped Farmer’s Market across the street, Shaw’s health has been topic No. 1.

Shaw, who has done little more than throw the football during practices this week, has a bruised bone in his right shoulder. Former Boiling Springs High standout Dylan Thompson has spent the most time with the Gamecocks’ first-team offense and would start if Shaw can’t.

Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier doesn’t expect to make a decision on whether or not to start Shaw until an hour before the 12:21 p.m. kickoff.

And there is another big concern following No. 9-ranked USC’s season-opening win at Vanderbilt.

The defense performed well, limiting the Commodores to 276 yards total offense. Coordinator Lorenzo Ward said he faces a different challenge in East Carolina.

The Pirates, who jumped to a 17-point lead against USC last season and scored 37 points, feature a high-powered offense that is designed to run as many plays as possible in an attempt to force defensive mistakes and mismatches.

While quarterback Dominique Davis, who blistered the Gamecocks a year ago, is now with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, the Pirates remain capable of creating problems behind junior Rio Johnson.

“They’re not going to sit back and hold the ball a lot,” Ward said of East Carolina. “The quarterback's going to get rid of the football, and we've definitely got to play well in space. It puts a lot of pressure on us, but hopefully we can take all the technique and fundamentals we've taught in the spring and preseason and utilize it.”

Ward has had the defense practice differently in an attempt to simulate ECU’s speed.

“We’ve practiced against two scouts teams,” said USC senior free safety D.J. Swearinger. “While one is running a play, the other is in a huddle. Immediately after the play is run, the other team lines up. We’ve been able to keep up with that pretty well.”

“It’s something that’s hard to simulate with the scout team,” Ward said, “but we’ll have to deal with that.”

Ward, who made it clear he plans to throw more blitz packages at opponents this season and did just that against Vanderbilt, believes with a few adjustments the attack will work against East Carolina.

“We feel like we still can hit the quarterback,” Ward said. “We’re still going to be in an aggressive mentality. Even though the quarterback is getting rid of the ball quickly, that’s just going to make us play a lot tighter coverage. We’re going to do what we do.”